Crunching the numbers sees a subject
losing up to 2.4kg of body fat extra a year just by drinking six glasses of
water daily. But a year is a long wait!

Playing a part in this is the
temperature of water, which is colder than body temperature and therefore
warming it up costs calories.

On the other hand, water does fill us
up. But just how much does a full stomach (and the changes in relation to
adrenaline that occur) impact this calorie cost?

Well, it's just that our scientific
friends were investigating.

So in their study, the researchers gave
their subjects (8 overweight men and women respectively) water on three
different occasions.

Occasion 1: 0.5 litre water on one occasion

Occasion 2: 50 ml water

Occasion 3: 0.5 litre water containing a small amount of
salt. The salt solution was what's called isotonic; the same salt concentration
as is in the blood. Why? Because water enters the bloodstream only when it
contains the same amount of salt your blood does.

Why the salt on occasion 3?
Because drinking water ordinarily sees your body get the salt from within
your stomach. When the right blend is created, alakazam!

On occasion 3, when the salt was added,
the energy expenditure disappeared. So our expanding stomachs isn't the issue
here.

What they actually found was that our
stomachs getting salt to them after water consumption was in fact where the
energy was required! So it's this that causes the rise in calorie
expenditure.

WHAT
TO TAKE AWAY

Whilst isotonic drinks are important for
some athletes, hitting your Plus Fitness bubbler after lifting weights or
running on the treadmills won't only help for hydration, but for some
additional calories burnt, too.

Water can be a vital aid in the war on
fat, but of course, it's not going to have a massive effect.

Shoot for 8-10 glasses a day, knowing
it'll be beneficial, but ultimately make sure it's your diet that's in check,
and that you're getting to your Plus Fitness gym as much as you need to!